HOPES Conference consulting project

1
Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability
HOPES Conference Analysis + Recommendations
Caitlin Reese + Ben Prager
ideas
action
20

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Obstacles identified by Conference Planning Team
The client wants to undertake the project in order to establish
a clear structure and set of processes to the organization
of the HOPES20 conference. The client expects that the
outcomes of the project will be a set of deliverables that
enable the HOPES20 team to redefine the scope of the
conference to one of continuous engagement throughout
the year.
HOPES Conference Series
Real and Perceived Obstacles
Mission
The HOPES20 conference will enhance collaboration
between sustainable education, industry, and government
in order to allow students to ideate with a greater context
in mind, one that marries the beauty and whimsy of design
with the pragmatism of industry and government.
Vision
HOPES will be the premier example of a collaborative
sustainability conference in the United States. It will engage
political, business, and design leaders in sustainability
discussions with future leaders from universities throughout
the U.S.

Background, Mission, and Vision
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6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19
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1) Inadequate Cross-disciplinary Engagement
2) Misaligned Content Relative to Vision
3) Stakeholder Alignment with Vision
4) Poor Conference Promotion
Insufficient Timely Communication to Stakeholders
Unclear Conference Message
External Obstacles
1) Unclear Message as to the Purpose of the Conference
2) Undefined Organizational Structure
3) Missing Procedural Standards
Lack of Established Time Line
Succession Planning
Metrics for Conference Success
4) Misaligned Conference Structure Relative to Vision
5) Inadequate Volunteer Engagement
Internal Obstacles

06 07
1. Define specific target audience segments for the
conference.
2. Align mission and communication of mission to key
stakeholders.
3. Incorporate a project charter into the conference
planning process. [Template I]
HOPES[20]: Inevitability
Proposed Solution: Clarify, Target, and Communicate
HOPES[19]: Collaborative Futures publicized the purpose
of the conference as follows:
“Dissonance. Synthesis. Initiation.
In past years these conferences have been focused around singular
issues from a specific perspective of design. This year however we
set out with a new approach: bringing together individuals from
multiple disciplines to confront the pertinent issues of our time as
a collective. This approach parallels the Oregon School’s history of
challenging conventional ideas of conservation and sustainability,
HOPES [19]: “Collaborative Futures” looks to re-articulate and direct
the contemporary discourse of what it means to foster a sustainable
city, region and planet. We have brought together professionals,
academics, researchers, professors, and students in fields ranging
from biomimicry to sociology for a truly uniquely collaborative
conference this year.”
Faculty, conference planning team members, and attendees
interviewed, stated that the publicized purpose of
HOPES[19] was nebulous and excluded those uninitiated
to design-speak. Interviewees had varying ideas regarding
who the target audience has been in past conferences.
Lack of mission clarity also prevented those promoting the
conference and those recruiting conference speakers from
clearly articulating a compelling reason to participate.
HOPES[19]: Collaborative Futures
Obstacle Identified: Unclear Conference Message

08 09
1) Review the proposed organizational chart that
complements the mission and vision of HOPES [above and
Appendix I].
2) Complete a RACI chart [Template II].
3) Incorporate short term volunteers positions in the
organizational chart and RACI chart design process.
HOPES’ conference planning team structure resembled
a matrix organization with core conference planning
members acting as functional project leads and short term
volunteers providing support across functions and projects.
The organizational structure was further complicated by
a lack of explicit role definition for functional project leads
with the exception of one student acting as a conference
director.
As a result, the HOPES conference missed three key
opportunities:
1) School-wide cross-disciplinary collaboration
2) School-wide volunteer engagement
3)Timely completion of sub-projects, such as payment
of honoraria to conference lecturers, returning of AV
equipment, and proper coordination with facilities to
relocate aquaponics installation
Proposed Solution: Define and Implement Organizational
Structure
Obstacle Identified: Undefined Organizational Structure
Communications
Leader
Logistics
Leader
Finanace
Leader
Theme
Leader
Conference
Leader
AAA Internal Outreach Leader
AAA
External Outreach Leader
SocialMediaLeader
Historian
GraphicDesignLeader
WebsiteLeader
Sponsorships Leader
AVEquipmentLeader
Facilities Leader
Day-ofVolunteerCoordinator
StudentGroup
Coordinator
Lecturer Outreach Leader
FormatDeveloper
Faculty
Advisor

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1) Develop standard HOPES project time line
2) Develop standardized knowledge sharing conventions
3) Appoint dedicated historian
4) Implement succession planning framework
5) Complete RACI chart to improve communication flow
6) Implement standard meeting agenda template
[Template III]
7) Develop success metrics charette with key stakeholders
Proposed Solution: Implement Key Standardized Processes
Obstacle Identified: Missing Procedural Standards
Through interviews and analysis of available program
documentation, the consulting team identified project
management processes and tools such as establishing a
project time line, succession planning, information storage
and standard communication channels are not currently
defined for HOPES. Furthermore, the team discovered
that no formal mechanism has ever existed for tracking and
measuring the progress of HOPES making it impossible for
successive teams to learn from past mistakes and improve
upon successes.

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Historically, HOPES conferences have typically consisted
of lectures, workshops, and occasional panel discussions.
Consequently, the conference series has created a separation
between speakers and students, promoting a monologue
rather than a dialogue. For the first time in the history of
the HOPES conference series, the HOPES[19] conference
had mild success in generating dialogue between guest
speakers and students via a live Twitter feed used during
panel discussions. Discussions had been held to attempt
to introduce new formats to HOPES[19], but due to a
number of limiting factors, including lack of conference
organizational experience, poorly defined mission and vision,
weak volunteer engagement, and insufficient planning time,
the standard conference format was perpetuated.
Obstacle Identified: Conference Structure-Vision Misalignment
1) Use the newly defined mission and vision to guide
conference structure planning decisions.
2) Select appropriate activities and formats from suggested
conference structure precedents provided. [Appendix II]
3) Incorporate conference speakers and facilitators in the
conference structure planning process.
4) Establish appropriate nomenclature for 2 major
conference groups, those contributing content (lecturers,
panelists, facilitators, etc.) and those deriving value from
that content (students).
Proposed Solution: Align Conference Structure to Vision

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1) Recruit core conference planning team members from
outside the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.
2) Hold a design charette to design conference space and
content.
3) Host periodic team building events to boost morale and
develop a cohesive interdisciplinary team environment.
4) Provide titles and official roles and responsibilities to
volunteers after they have attended 3 meetings.
Proposed Solution: Develop Strategic Volunteer Recruitment
Though the goal of HOPES[19]: Collaborative Futures was
to “bring together individuals from multiple disciplines to
confront the pertinent issues of our time as a collective”,
volunteersemergedprimarilyfromtheSchoolofArchitecture
and Allied Arts. Within this group of volunteers, with the
exception of one student from the School of Journalism and
a handful of short term volunteers from the Department of
Landscape Architecture, the majority of core conference
planning members and volunteers came from the
Department of Architecture. Even for the volunteers
participating from the Department of Architecture, the
turnover rate was high, leading to participation periods of
1 to 6 weeks instead of the length of the planning and
execution process.
Obstacle Identified: Inadequate Volunteer Engagement

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1) Promote conference with department-specific fliers
and email announcements, bulletin boards, and in-class
presentations.
2)LeverageassetsindepartmentsoutsideoftheDepartment
of Architecture for the conference planning committee
and promotional content generation. For example, recruit
a Communications Leader from the Department of
Journalism.
3) Recruit 50% of conference contributors with design
backgroundsand50%withvariousnon-designbackgrounds.
4) Each year, evaluate three potential conference locations
to both determine proper alignment to the proposed annual
conference structure and mission and allow the School of
Architecture and Allied Arts to retain conference ownership.
Proposed Solution: Develop Cross-disciplinary Engagement
Strategy
Past HOPES conferences have all focused around
the Department of Architecture. The majority of the
past conference contributors have backgrounds in the
design world, primarily from the architecture industry.
Simultaneously, Lawrence Hall has served as the sole
physical location for the HOPES conference series. Student
attendees have almost entirely come from the School
of Architecture and Allied Arts due to insufficient cross-
disciplinary conference promotion.
Obstacle Identified: Limited Cross-disciplinary Engagement

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1) Develop a Conference Theme Planning Rubric to
systematically select a conference theme. Consider industry
trends, attendee feedback, and existing University and
personal networks.
2) Refine proposed feedback mechanism and metrics
for students and contributors to evaluate the conference
[Template IV]
3) Review questionnaire to include participant feedback
in the theme selection process for the following year’s
conference. [Template IV]
Proposed Solution: Align Conference Content to Vision
Through stakeholder interviews the consulting team
determined that past conference content has varied from
extremely broad to overly narrow. In the case of HOPES[18],
which the theme of Dirt, the conference contributors were
unable to provide sufficient content related material due to
the narrow scope and instead provided lectures unrelated to
the theme. Consequently, the HOPES[19] team reacted by
selecting a theme that was overly broad which diminished
the clarity of the purpose of the conference.
HOPES[19] - Collaborative Futures
HOPES[18]- Dirt
HOPES[17]- Periphery
HOPES[16]- Closing the Loop
Obstacle Identified: ConferenceContent-Vision Misalignment

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1) Review the stakeholder analysis provided by the consult-
ing team. [list of stakeholders in Appendix III]
2) Identify stakeholders relevant to yearly conference
theme.
In the past, the HOPES conference planning committee did
not perform a stakeholder analysis leading to unfocused
stakeholder engagement. The stakeholders engaged in the
HOPES conference were not sufficiently diverse for the
conference to progress towards its mission and vision.
Additionally, past HOPES conference planning teams
have not explicitly identified the key conference stakeholder
as ‘University Students Interested in Sustainability’.
Consequently, stakeholders, including speakers, professors,
students, and members of the community were not selected
to align with the conference vision.
Obstacle Identified: Stakeholder-Vision Misalignment
Proposed Solution: Align Stakeholders to Vision
University of Oregon
Univers
ity of Oregon Academic Depar
tments
School
of Architecture and Allie
dArts
Univ
ersity of Oregon Stu
dentsEugene, Oregon Community
Univers
tments
School
dArts
Univ
dents
Eugene, Oregon Community

22 23
1) Incorporate promotional practices into an annual time
line, including post-conference promotional follow-up
2) Promote conference in all areas of campus and
surrounding community with print media
3) Expand media types to incorporate not only print, but
social media and web presence, in-class announcements,
radio, word-of-mouth, and a pre-conference design charette
4) Align promotional content to HOPES’ vision and target
audiences by delivering messages targeted at specific
stakeholder groups.
5) Create performance metrics to track and analyze the
success of promotional strategies.
As cited by students and faculty, conference promotion
activities have been primarily limited to posters and fliers
displayed within Lawrence Hall, home of the School of
Architecture and Allied Arts, starting approximately 6
weeks prior to the conference. The timing, location, media
for delivery, and content did not align with HOPES’ vision.
Proposed Solution: Holistic Promotional Strategy
Redevelopment
Obstacle Identified: Insufficient Conference Promotion
Promotion Start
19
Promotion Start
20 Promotion Start
21Promotion Start
22

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Appendices and Templates

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Appendix 1: Organizational Chart
Communications
Leader
Logistics
Leader
Finanace
Leader
Theme
Leader
Conference
Leader
AAA Internal Outreach Leader
AAA
External Outreach Leader
SocialMediaLeader
Historian
GraphicDesignLeader
WebsiteLeader
Sponsorships Leader
AVEquipmentLeader
Facilities Leader
Day-ofVolunteerCoordinator
StudentGroup
Coordinator
Lecturer Outreach Leader
FormatDeveloper
Faculty
Advisor
Appendix 1: Blank Page for Refinement of Organizational Chart

28 29
Appendix II: Conference Structures
ideas
action
2099U Conference Structure
20
Lecturers
Academia
Industry
Government
Community
Students
HOPES Community
Unconference Structure
20Ideas
TED Structure
M
a
ssdistributionofHOPESideasandco
ntent
The 99U Conference structure facilitates the transition from ideas to
action. The conference hosts 30 minute lectures geared toward real
world execution of ideas. Intensive master classes take attendees through
the process of making ideas happen. The conferene coordinates
attendee workshops in creative companies. These workshops at places
like IDEO allow attendees to work through problems and learn best
practices from experts. http://99u.com/conference
TED Conferences highlight exciting ideas and projects, shared for 18
minutes or less, that can be distributed across the massive TED
community. The premier TED Conference cost thousands of dollars to
attend and occurs once per year. However, TED has lived up to its
motto ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ by hosting thousands of free online
videos, TEDx local events, numerous initiatives, a fellows program, and
a rich online community. www.ted.com
The Unconference structure focuses on creating cross disciplinary
collaboration through interaction. The conference begins with a live
agenda creation session where all attendees can suggest topics of
interest. Lectures are not held during this conference and sessions are in
the form of rapid demos, spectograms, sounding boards, world cafe,
value network mapping, and other collaborative structures where
multiple stakeholders discuss and interact. www.unconference.net

30 31
Appendix III: Stakeholder Analysis
Univers
tments
School
dArts
Univ
dents
Eugene, Oregon Community
Falling Sky, Ninkasi, Rowell Brokaw, Pivot Architecture, 2Form Ar-
chitecture, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Art and Business Alli-
ance, Lane Transit District, Mayor’s Office, Public Works, Business
and Economic Development, Urban Agriculture, Recycling and Solid
Waste, Police, Congressman Peter DeFazio (D), Silicon Shire
OLIS, Edible Campus, UO Sustainability Center, President Michael
Gottfredson, Provost Scott Coltrane, Executive Vice Presidents of the
University of Oregon, University of Oregon Alumni, Career Center
College of Arts and Sciences, Charles H. Lundquist School of Busi-
ness, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, School of Journalism
and Communication, School of Law, School of Music and Dance,
College of Education, Robert D. Clark Honors College, Research In-
stitutes and Centers
Brook Muller, Kassia Dellabough, Judith Sheine, Frances Bronet, Rob
Thallon, Phillip Speranza, Nancy Cheng, Howard Davis, Tannaz Far-
si, Jack Ryan, Michael Salter, Kate Wagle, Charles Lachman, An-
drew Schulz, Elisabeth Chan, Robert Melnick, Deni Ruggeri, Nico
Larco, Rich Margerum, Doug Blandy, Kingston Heath, Donald Cor-
ner, Kiersten Muenchinger
Students from Outside the University of Oregon
Business and Government Leaders Outside of the Eugene, Oregon
Community
5 Years
2 Years
1 Year
Every Student at the University of Oregon

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Template I: Project Charter
HOPES[20]: Inevitability Project Charter
Project Leader: [Name]
Faculty/ Department Sponsor: [Name]
Date: [4/14]
This charter serves to announce the initiation of the HOPES [20]:
Inevitability conference planning project. We are undertaking this
HOPES20 conference planning project to enhance collaboration
between sustainable education, industry, and government in order
to allow students to ideate with a greater context in mind, one that
marries the beauty and whimsy of design with the pragmatism of
industry and government.
Our vision is to work toward a HOPES conference that will be the
premier example of a collaborative sustainability conferences in the
United States. It will engage political, business, and design leaders
in sustainability discussions with future leaders from Universities
throughout the U.S.
[Project manager name] has been selected to lead this project.
Please provide your complete cooperation to the project and to
[project manager name].
Thank you.
[This charter formally authorizes the project manager and is sent out
from the sponsor or project selection board.]
Template I: Page Left Blank for Refinement of Project Charter

34 35
Template II: RACI Chart Category Descriptions
STAKEHOLDERS
Faculty
Advisor
Conference
Leader
Finance
Leader
Sponsorship
Leader
Logistics
Leader
Facilities
Leader
Volunteer
Coordinator
Historian
A
C
T
I
V
I
T
Y
Reimburse
speakers
forlodging
IARCI
Consulted
The people/roles who are consulted and taken advice from before and during
performing the task, they do not have decision making power.
Informed
The people/roles who are informed after the task is completed.
Responsible
The role or person that is assigned the role ‘Responsible’ is the one who performs the
work.
Accountable
The person or role who has the final authority and accountability to a given task.
Template II: RACI Chart Template

36 37
Template III: Meeting Agenda
Date: 9/30/13 Location:
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Attendees:

Preparation for Meeting:
Please Read: Please Bring:

Meeting Objective:

Action Items from Previous Meeting
Responsible
Party
Action Item Due
Date
Agenda
Topic Presenter Time Limit

New Action Items
Responsible
Party
Action Item Due
Date
Close Meeting
Template III: Page Left Blank for Refinement of Meeting Agenda

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Template IV: Follow-up Questionnaire
Dear Participant
We would like to thank you for your attendance at the HOPES [20]
Conference. The HOPES conference planning team would like to
invite you to take a moment to complete our conference evaluation
feedback. Your feedback will enable us to improve our conferences
and better meet your needs. This evaluation will take no more than
5 minutes of your time.
Thank you for your collaboration.
1. Please indicate your overall satisfaction with this conference by
circling one of the statements below:
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
2. What was MOST VALUABLE about the conference?
3. What was LEAST VALUABLE about the conference?
Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A
Relevance of Conference
Contents
Providing a Forum of
Exchange of Information
with Other Participants
Quality of Presentations
Information Available
Online
Registration Process
Conference Venue/
Facilities
Organizational
Arrangements for and
during the Event
Quality of Social Events
Dates of Conference
The following are potential candidates for themes for the next
HOPES conference in 2014.
5. What other topic(s) or theme(s) would like to be addressed at
next HOPES Conference?
7. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?(Optional)
Name:
Institution:
E-mail:
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this evaluation!
4. How would you rate the following items?

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